


coming home (right into your arms)

by haiikyuuns



Series: it has always been you [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/M, Not beta read we die like Daichi, Soulmates AU, bc im weak for those, but is vvvvv mild and nothing graphic !!, can u tell im bad at writing scandy things lmao, short mentions of kenma, slightly suggestive end, sorry i have the vocab of a child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:27:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25845046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haiikyuuns/pseuds/haiikyuuns
Summary: because you drew stars around my scars. au in which the phase that made you fall in love with your soulmate is tattooed on your wrist. it starts as exceptionally light and grows darker as you fall in love until it is completely black. – kuroo/oc
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Original Female Character(s), Kuroo Tetsurou/Reader, Kuroo Tetsurou/You
Series: it has always been you [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1889977
Comments: 2
Kudos: 77





	coming home (right into your arms)

**Author's Note:**

> hi friends. it's been six whole years since i last wrote anything, but my love for kuroo just pushed me off my ass and wrote something??? i'm sorry this is kinda choppy because i got tired of writing lmao. also very sorry for my 6-year-old vocab bc english is hard. mentions of two younger sisters with names, but feel free to ignore/change them!
> 
> this was lowkey inspired by taylor swift's new album folklore. 
> 
> story + random domestic scenes in my head.

You were vaguely aware of the concept of soulmates at six years old. The words appeared on your wrist just as you were done with your latest drawing – a picture of your parents, you, and your younger sisters. It freaked you out to no end, and you cried a little when you realized you couldn’t scrub the marks away. When your mom found you, you could barely blubber out why you were crying so you ended up just showing her your wrist. She stared at you with wide eyes before she let out a soft laugh, which made you temporarily stop crying to stare at her with tears still threatening to spill from your eyes. Seeing your distress, she kissed your wrist and hugged you.

“It’s okay, baby. It’s nothing to worry about,” she whispered softly. “Those are the words that your soulmate will say to you when you fall in love with him,” she paused, “or her. It’s still faint now, but one day, when you really fall in love with him, it will turn black, just like mama’s.”

As she said that, she showed you her wrist, onyx black words inked onto her wrist. You stared at her wrist first and traced over the words on there before you stared at her with confusion in your childish eyes. You didn’t get it, but you sucked up the snot that was about to drip and wiped the unshed tears leftover in your eyes before you nodded at her since she told you it was okay. She laughed lightly again before patting your head lovingly. She continued to explain that it was something like a permanent best friend, someone who knew you and loved you.

“So, like you and daddy and Maika and Haruna?” You listed off the members of your family on your small hands and tilted your head, not understanding it.

“Something like that,” your mom nodded, “But it’s a little different. It’s a bond that only you and your soulmate will have. You will always feel at home with them.”

Your mom could tell you still didn’t understand it, so she just added that it might be too complicated to understand now, but that was okay since you were still young. One day though, you will meet someone just for you. You nodded again because although you didn’t know what she meant, you were excited to have another best friend in your life one day.

That night, as you laid in bed, you traced the words tattooed on your wrist as you dreamed of laughter in sunlit rooms with your parents, playful teasing between your sisters and you, and dirty socks and skinned knees on playgrounds with your friends.

* * *

You were eighteen when you first met Kuroo Tetsurou. Your little sister invited you to her school’s volleyball game, which you thought was rather strange since she usually didn’t go out to these events, but you accepted nonetheless because you thought she looked rather nervous. She was usually bold and confident and rather independent, so you were always happy that she could lean on you if she ever needed support.

Even though your university was a few stations over, you arrived a little earlier than planned. You have never been to Nekoma before since you chose to attend a high school that was further away from your house. Since it was a good half hour earlier than planned, your little sister wasn’t here yet, and you were honestly a little lost. Although you just graduated a few months ago, you felt a little out of place, wearing what you wore to class – casual clothes and thick bracelets to cover your tattoo – looking for a gym. You took a glance at your phone to see if she texted you where she was, but she hadn’t sent anything else since her last update.

You huffed silently as you circled back into the same spot you were in earlier. You cursed the gods for giving you a bad sense of direction – you couldn’t help it, okay? – because this always happened. Luckily, as if someone heard your silent prayers, a high schooler in a red Nekoma uniform called out to you. His bright red jersey with the number 1 on it should have been easily the first thing that drew your eye, but his messy, untamed black hair and his half-grin half-smirk smile caught your eye and somehow eased all your tensions and worries.

He asked you if you were lost, and you told him hopelessly. At that, you heard his unique sounding laugh – it almost sounds like a hyena you thought to yourself- and you couldn’t help but laugh too. When you told him you were here for the volleyball game, his eyes lit up, and you found that you rather liked his animated gray eyes despite how scheming he looked at first.

“Thank you for finding me,” you mumbled and bowed gracefully as he led you to the gym.

He paused as you said those words, stopping in place. When you looked back at him, you saw that he was twisting his black wristband with shock and the slightest dust of pink on his face.

“Sorry about that. I’m happy to help,” he finally flashed his unique smile again. “Hope you’re here to cheer for us?”

He made you laugh effortlessly. “Of course.”

Only when he disappeared in the gym lockers did you realize you didn’t catch his name.

* * *

Your sister arrived shortly after; her dyed hair caught your eye rather quickly. She hastily made her way next to you, mumbling quick excuse me’s and sorry’s along the way, and as she reached you, you realized that she looked absolutely starstruck by the players arriving on the court.

“Hey.” You tapped her shoulder, which caused her to jump a little. You laughed as she mumbled a quick hi, filled you in on the basics of volleyball, and went back to focusing on the game, eyes trailing after a certain player. You giggled a little at the sight and thought that she was incredibly cute. Following her example, you also began focusing on the game below, taking note that the game was starting.

You were always more of an indoor person, so you never went to a volleyball game. You remembered mandatory games for physical education classes, but even then, you only did what you had to do to pass the class. Despite not knowing much about volleyball, seeing these boys try so hard to keep the ball in the air, to keep the game going, to have the tenacity and drive to win, leaving you in awe. After Nekoma scored another point, the other team called a time out. During this time, you noticed that the same boy in jersey number 1 said something to his team and it immediately lifted the tired team’s spirits. You briefly wondered if he was the captain. When you heard his hyena laugh, it left an impression on you as you began to laugh – it was so contagious.

“Nee-chan,” your sister began as she looked at you, “Why are you laughing like a weirdo?”

“Shh,” you shushed her with your finger, “Don’t worry about it. Go back to watching the game.”

She didn’t need to be told twice as the time out ended and the game started back in action. After the time out, the other team was steadier, but it was still too late for them to catch up to Nekoma. The player with the 1 jersey blocked a ball, and as the ball bounced back to the other side of the court, the judge shouted out the match point. At that, the gym went wild with cheers – the audience rose and clapped as the team looked to each other and bowed to the audience before lining up for handshakes. Your eyes mindless trail over all the players, and to your surprise, you ended up staring into familiar gray eyes. For a moment, it felt like the world stilled and you couldn’t breathe. Only when your sister called for you, you awoke from your trance and flashed him a smile. You saw his smile and a small wave from the corner of your eye before you directed your attention to your little sister. You still didn’t really get volleyball, but you can understand why your little sister looked so starstruck after seeing these players’ resilience and skill and the joy on their faces.

You were about to leave when your little sister grabbed onto the sleeve of your top with one hand. She held her phone on one hand, screen still on a conversation with someone, and blurted, “Nee-chan, wait! I’ll introduce you! Stay with me!” She looked at you with almost pleading eyes.

You were a little cautious because you didn’t want to be in the middle of yet another set up by your little sister. You raised an eyebrow at her before she pouted, looking a lot more nervous than the usual playful teasing she had in her eye when she tried to set you up. “Please?”

“Okay, lover girl,” you laughed, “Only because you asked so nicely.”

She introduced you to the team shortly afterward. To be honest, you didn’t really even know your sister was interested in volleyball or were on such friendly terms with the volleyball team. However, when you saw their interactions, it warmed your heart to know that your sister was surrounded by people who loved her. She reckoned that they should call you two by your first names because it would just get too confusing if they addressed both of you by your last name here. That gave various reactions amongst the team members: some stuttered and stumbled saying your names, some had no trouble at all. When you caught your sister’s face heating up after the one whom she introduced as Kozume Kenma mumbled her name hesitantly, you began to understand why she wanted you here. As the players began leaving one by one, it ended up with the four of you: your sister, you, Kozume Kenma, and your savior in red, Kuroo Tetsurou.

Picking up on the fact that your sister liked Kenma, you were trying to figure out ways to let them have a little bit more time to themselves. It seemed like Kuroo had the same idea as you because as you excused yourself from the group, he mentioned that he will walk you to the station as it was late. You swore you saw your little sister’s fingers fumbling the edge of her top, and you laughed lightly at how flustered and cute she was being. You gave a small wave with a smile on your face before made your way out with Kuroo by your side.

You guys didn’t get to talk much since it was a group conversation contributed by everyone. However, based on your observations and few interactions, it was unsurprising that conversation with Kuroo was easy. He was charming and observant, easily filling in conversation when you didn’t, and even the quiet in between conversations felt comfortable, like you’ve known each other for years.

Within your short conversations, you found out that he was a year younger and unexpectedly wanted to study chemistry in university. He was indeed the captain of his team and he loved his teammates as much as he loved the sport. You learned that despite his cat-like eyes, he loved dogs, and his hair was like that because it was his natural bedhead. You learned that all the walls you thought you built up felt absolutely paper-thin as your heart began to flutter in a way it hadn’t for years, and your wrist pulsed so intensely in ways that it had never before. You quickly pushed that thought down as you reach the train station. When you thanked him and bid him goodbye, he casually waved and let out a half-grin half-smirk smile, and you thought that was unquestionably adorable. He waited until you were out of sight before he left to make sure you got on the train safely, and as you sat down on the train, you began tracing the words on your wrist.

For the first time in a long time, you noticed that the words were darker, and suddenly, your heart stopped, and you bit your lips as your heart started to ache.

* * *

Black hair and gray eyes never really left your mind, but you tried not to think of Kuroo Tetsurou too much after that night because you didn’t think you would meet him again. It was all in vain though because you found that you thought of him a lot whenever you saw red, and somehow, that happened to be your new favorite color. As you wrapped your red scarf around your neck during the end of winter, you bumped into someone in the chemistry building on campus when you were rushing to your next class.

“Whoah, easy there,” he grabbed onto your arm before you fell, “Are you alright?”

It took you a few seconds to stabilize yourself before you nodded. “Thank you.”

Just as you looked up, your eyes met his gray ones, and your surprise mirrored his as your mouth dropped a little. You didn’t know if your face felt hot because of the chilling wind or the man in front of you.

“Kuroo-san,” you said airily, “What are you doing here?”

“Hey,” he nodded and smiled. “I’m checking out this campus. I got accepted into the chemistry program here. I didn’t think I would run into you.”

“Congratulations!” You exclaimed, “I didn’t think I’d run into you either. I’m sorry, by the way, for literally running into you.”

He laughed before brushing it off, and you laughed alongside him because his laughter was so contagious, and it was just so simple being with him. It was like you two fell into a comfortable pattern even though you’ve only had one conversation months ago.

“I’m sorry to cut this short, but I have class in a few minutes,” you began as the laughter died down. “How long will you be on campus? I’ll treat you to lunch! As a congratulation.”

“There’s no need for that,” he declined gently, “But I will be here for another hour or so, I think. I have a meeting and a tour with the chemistry professor scheduled soon. Let’s meet for lunch?”

“Sure,” you agreed happily.

“Here, put your number in, and I’ll text you?” he handed you his phone.

“Kuroo-san,” you began as you typed in your number. “You’re so smooth.” You laughed as you handed his phone back to him and left for class.

You didn’t see the smile on his face nor the longing look in his eyes as they followed your retreating figure.

* * *

With that, Kuroo and you began texting quite often. Often, you found yourself with your phone nearby at any moment, awaiting responses from him. He was an absolute dork and loved lame chemistry puns and silly memes, and he made you laugh like no others. He was sassy in a way, and sometimes he was just so easy to sass back. When you were talking with him, it felt like your heart was a little lighter from the endless cycle of failed experiments, lab reports, and vicious exams.

Once he started classes, you two began studying together quite often. Since you two had the same major and he was taking classes you already took, you gave him pointers on the key points and what the professors like the test on. While he hadn’t taken your classes yet, sometimes he could reinterpret the concepts and notes you struggled with although he didn’t quite understand the topic itself. It was so helpful that studying together quite often became more often than not, and late-night coffee runs and post-exam meals became a tradition. At one point during midterms week, you were quite sure you were at his apartment more than you were at yours, and Kuroo became Tetsurou before he became just Tetsu.

With all this time you spent with each other, you learned more and more about Kuroo. He was undoubtedly charismatic, and he loved to tease you and your poor sense of direction and inability to function before 10 am despite you signing up for 8 am classes. He was perceptive and keen on your emotions: he knew to suggest for a walk around campus to clear your mind when you were too stressed, he knew to send you lame chemistry memes and bring you food when you felt down about doing poorly on an exam, he knew to just hold you and let you cry when you felt hopeless about your future. Likewise, you cooked him meals for when his exam schedule was chaotic and he forgot to eat, you waited for him after exams to celebrate regardless of how he did, you lent him your lap when he was too tired to make it to bed. You were sure that you had one – or two, or three, who was keeping count anyway – of his hoodies from nights when you forgot to bring a jacket or were too cold after partying together.

Sometimes you do realize the two of you might be blurring boundaries a little during late nights when you talk to each other about your childhoods and fears, your dreams and aspirations, your favorite people and close friends. The lines were blurred when your hands brush and you would catch his eyes staring at your lips, and sometimes he’d hold your hand when your hands were cold, and you would wear his hoodies because they were comfortable and smelled like him. The lines blurred when he unknowingly leaving parts of him – pens, chemistry books, a volleyball, clothes – at your apartment, and you had a set of accumulated mismatched utensils and a toothbrush at his and even his roommate became a sort of friend of yours. Everything with Kuroo was just so straightforward and fun because he just understood you, and it terrified you to no end because of how simple it was, and you could just be you.

You tried to not think of this too much because you were scared that it was all in your head. You knew you were falling in love with Kuroo, and a part of you knew he felt the same. But you were hurt by love before, and you didn’t want to be burned twice. You knew he wasn’t your ex, but you didn’t know yourself. It was like your head knew Kuroo was bad, bad news, but your heart just kept going forward, craving to be his presence, to be with him. With each night, you realized that your tattoo grew darker and darker.

You asked Kuroo if he believed in soulmates one day while you two were watching a movie at your apartment during a chill night in between exams. It was some sappy rom-com your roommate suggested before she left for the night, and you two decided it would be a good laugh since it looked so cheesy.

He looked straight into your eyes, his gray ones blazing and passionate, like he was looking through your pretenses and directly into your soul, before he whispered, “I do.”

You felt so bare and vulnerable under his fierce eyes, and you couldn’t face his intensity, so you pulled your knees up into your chest before you buried your face in them. You hesitated before you shared your next thought, “I fell in love once, you know.”

Your heart felt so heavy as you said that. It happened so long ago, and you would think five years was a long time to get over someone. While you do think you were over your ex, the wounds he left scarred and carved an everlasting dent on you. Kuroo tensed a little from your statement but didn’t say anything otherwise, but you caught his eyes never leaving your form from the corner of your eyes as he reached out to pat your head gently. He was waiting for you to continue.

“I was fourteen, and we had a total meet cute moment where I bumped into him around the corner and he caught me on my first day of school.”

At that, he let out a small laugh, “Yeah, you do tend to bump into people.”

“Shut up! I’m trying to tell my tragic backstory here!” You untucked your head from your knees to look at him and pouted, but you felt a little less smothered by your memories now.

“He was everything I could have ever asked for. He was cute and smart, and he had big dreams, and I wanted to be right there, next to him, when he made his dreams come true. Maybe I was just young and insecure, but I changed my whole lifestyle to cater to his. He was older than me and he was popular, so I did everything I could to impress him. I changed my hairstyle, learned how to wear makeup, got my cartilage pierced – twice! – to stand out. I would drop everything if he asked me to hang out. It felt like I was on top of the world.”

You fell silent because you wanted to cry but nothing came out. You were a lot older now, and the pain dulled with time. However, the heartache never completely went away, and you wanted to fall apart. Seeing your distress, Kuroo pulled you from your ball form and into his lap, one hand on the small of your back to hold you, the other stroking your hair gently.

“You don’t have to tell me, you know?” he whispered in your hair. “It’s okay.”

You only shook your head against his chest. “I became so captivated with him that I only knew me when I was with him, and I didn’t know who I was before or without him. I built myself around him. I changed into his ideals, I fitted myself into his life without him trying to fit in mine, I became who he thought I was. But the tattoo never changed colors, and I waited and waited and waited for him to say those words, but he never did. When those illusions shattered, it was all over.”

Kuroo only continued to stroke your hair gently, and you found the sound of his heartbeat rather reassuring. It kept you grounded as you trekked through your memories.

“I think I lost a part of me trying to love him,” you finally managed to breathe out after collecting your thoughts.

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to show the best parts of yourself to the person you love,” Kuroo said as he shifted to rest his chin on top of your head and held you with both of arms.

“I don’t know who I am,” you whispered, sounding as broken and helpless as you felt. You were always open with Kuroo because he was someone you had absolute trust in. Being with him came so serene and warm, but you never felt as defenseless and raw when you told him your feelings. While you shared with Kuroo your childhood fears, it was never as deep as your number one insecurity. You hadn’t opened up about how lost you felt without your ex in a long time, and honestly, you felt like you had no personality other than what you want the recipient to perceive. Your heart was aching, but something was soothing about Kuroo’s embrace that kept you here, at this moment, instead of inside your head.

“But I know you,” he declared confidently like it was the most natural thing in the world. “I know you hate mornings and can’t get through the day without espresso even though you would much prefer tea. I know you grind your teeth when you’re about to fall asleep even though you have no recollection of this every morning. I know you are super picky about your ramen portions because you get upset when your meat-to-noodle ratio gets off. I know you love the stars even though you hate going outside because you hate bugs, and you’d much rather be lounging around in my hoodies because they’re comfortable. I know you sometimes stutter and skip your words when you get excited about chemistry, but your eyes shine so bright and your dimples show when you laugh. These are just some things about you. I can tell you more if you’re interested,” he teased as he moved to look into your eyes.

Your eyes widened. The words you never thought you would hear ignited a fire in your heart and set ablaze on your wrist like you never felt before as you listened to him talk about you with so much love in his voice. Your heart, dejected and fearful, began to beat apace, pulsing quickly as your wrist continued to burn. You felt like your whole being was on fire, and you looked up from his chest to his eyes, searching and searching. You only found that there was nothing but the truth in his eyes, and your body felt electrified – time had stopped, and you could hear, feel your heartbeat pounding rapidly. Then, you tore your eyes away from his, slowly took off your bracelet, only to find the words tattooed on your wrist completely blacked.

His eyes followed your movement, and when he saw your wrist, he let out a shaky, “Oh!” Once he seemed to collect himself more, he reached for your wrist and kissed it.

“Looks like it’s a match,” he breathed out faintly as he took off his wristband, ‘thank you for finding me’ tattooed on his wrist, bold and black.

You stared at his tattoo, at him, and then averted your eyes as a feeble attempt to run away from the conversation. The tears you didn’t know you were holding fell freely because you were so scared, so confused, so happy. You were a complete mess of emotions because he was everything you never thought you wanted. He was your rock, your best friend, your support in the past year, and you were not supposed to fall in love.

He recognized your change in emotions and gently slid his hands into yours. “Please don’t run from me.”

You stared around your apartment, hyper-focused on the long-forgotten movie in the background, scared to look at him because you felt so exposed. You didn’t want him to know how you felt about him because when you were on a high, you can only fall from here. Being with him was your high, and while you were sure you could live without him, it was going to be a new low. Love was scary because it can break so easily. You were so scared.

“Look at me.”

You looked up at him. He was always goofy and dorky, constantly teasing, and he always made you feel better about your worries because he always listened and fought your demons with you. But here he was, looking so seriously into your eyes, baring his soul and looking as vulnerable as you felt.

“I’m sorry,” you began, not really knowing why you were apologizing in the first place. “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” he questioned, hands never leaving yours and eyes never straying away.

“I just – ” you paused, “I don’t know.”

“Do you love me?” he asked quietly. His voice soft, genuine, and almost inaudible, as if he was also scared to hear the answer. You felt afraid again.

“I’m sorry,” you apologized again between sobs.

“Please answer the question,” he pressed on softly before he took one hand off yours to wipe your tears.

“I do,” you admitted after seconds of silence, “I do, Tetsu. I love you so much that it scares me because love breaks so easily.”

You hiccuped and paused, trying to think of the words.

“It’s okay to not think about it too hard, you dummy. Just tell me what you’re thinking,” he prompted, words kind and gentle, as he gently brushed his thumb over the space between your thumb and pointer finger.

“Okay,” you promised, “I can try.”

You breathed in and looked away from him, “I’m sorry because I love you. I know I can be overbearing. Love is scary because look, I’m like baring all my soul out to you right now. What if I lost you? What if you don’t want to be around me anymore? What if you only think you knew me but the real me is just a disappointment? I’m scared, I’m scared, I’m scared. I just – ”

“I love you,” he stopped you in the middle of your ramble.

You gaped at him because you can’t believe your ears. You were unsure if you imagined that in your head as part of your ramble, and what if he was just saying that. Your brain was going into overdrive because you cannot think of why he would love you. Your eyes trailed away from his again because his stare was so intense and vivid, and you started to ramble again.

“Wait did you understand what I said? What if you started to lose interest in me? I’m just me and – ”

“I love you,” he repeated, more firm this time, gently tugging your hand to get you to look at him.

“But I – ”

“I love you,” he said for the third time, unyielding in his voice. You were so startled that when he nudged you to look at him again, you did. His eyes showed no hesitation, and you were an absolute mess.

“But what if I’m not enough?” you managed to choke out. “What if I’m not the one you’re looking for? Wait, am I even making sense?”

“You are,” he countered your worries, “Because I know you.”

Your eyes widened as he said the words tattooed on your wrist again, and your world stopped. It felt like all the years of soul searching and heartache were disappearing. It felt like you found the part of you that you lost before. It felt like you can breathe again. You gasped as the tattoo on your wrist pulse rapidly once again alongside your thumping heart.

You couldn’t believe this was happening to you. You spent so long being lost and now it felt like someone was calling you back home. You felt like you remembered what it was like to feel starstruck and soft, to feel okay to see the stars in his eyes. Your eyes trailed from your tattoo to his and finally to his eyes, and when you saw his dorky half-grin half-smirk smile, you smiled despite looking like a teary mess.

“Thank you for finding me,” you whispered weakly and shyly, almost scared that this dream would shatter if you broke it.

“That’s the second time you said it,” he laughed loudly, his tattoo out opened for you to see.

You nodded slowly and a smile broke out before your laughter joined his. As you calm down from your laugh, you felt him staring at you.

“Can I kiss you?” he blurted, cheeks dusted with a slight pink, looking absolutely in love.

At that moment, you didn’t know why or how you doubted yourself – your worth, who you were, as a woman – when he looked at you like this, like you were the only one he saw in this world. “Okay,” you whispered lightly before you leaned in.

He closed the distance between, and your mundane days of black and white burst into color and turned the grayed-out skies into a world of stars. It was like your soul finally found another who gave you comfort and peace while simultaneously setting your heart on fire and giving you starry night skies. He was your end and your beginning, and it felt like you were finally home.

* * *

“How long have you been in love with me?” you questioned one day, laying on the ground with your hands folded on top of your stomach, eyes averted from your laptop. Your microbiology lab report final was due in a few days, and you were tired of looking at the data you’ve collected and the research books after the 25 pages you’ve already typed. So here you were, questioning your existence on this earth because school really sucked.

The sound of Kuroo’s pen stopped, and your eyes trailed from looking at the wall of fairy lights and Polaroid pictures to him. He pursed his lips a little, balancing his pen on top, and leaned back into the couch. You stared at him as he sat in silence, lost in his thoughts, and your heart fluttered because he was just so stupidly handsome. If he wasn’t so absorbed in his thoughts, you had no doubt he would tease you for staring.

“I don’t know,” he answered finally, “My tattoo darkened when you came to our volleyball game in my third year of high school, and before I knew it, it just became pitch black.”

“Huh,” you thought out loud, “That far back?”

He grinned, “Yeah. I thought you looked like a mess when you kept walking around in circles. If you weren’t so cute, I would have reported you to the police.”

You gasped loudly and dramatically, “You watched me suffer for that long?! You suck!”

“Hey, I came to help in the end, didn’t I?” he countered without any bite in his voice, pouting a little.

“Yeah,” you smiled at the memory, “My hero in red. Thank you for finding me.”

At that, he got up from the couch and pulled you into his lap before nuzzling in your hair, “I’ll always find you, princess. Always.”

* * *

You were already half asleep in bed when you felt the sheets rustle. You both had class early tomorrow morning, but you figured you can try to stay up as Kuroo finished his shower after coming home late from intramural volleyball practice.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” he whispered, not wanting to wake you from your sleep.

“No,” you mumbled half-lies, “Was waiting for you.” You lifted the large blanket with one hand, signaling for him to get in.

He settled into the empty spot, and you threw the blanket over him as an attempt to tuck him in. “Don’t lie to me, you dummy,” he laughed, “I know you.”

That phrase set your heart on fire every time because it felt so powerful, and it made you feel so whole.

You smiled lazily and looked for his hand under the sheets. He grabbed your searching hand and laced your fingers together. Your sleepy smile brightened, turning into a cheesing grin, and you tugged him closer to give him a quick kiss. “Welcome home.”

“I’m home.”

And those words never felt so right.

* * *

You rubbed your groggy eyes as the sunlight shone through the blinds. You automatically reached beside you, patting the empty space where Kuroo normally laid. You puffed your cheeks in a pout before you saw it was almost noon on your phone.

On cue, the sound of sizzles and the scent of breakfast drifted through the door. Begrudgingly, you got up, wore Kuroo’s discarded shirt by the bed, and headed into the kitchen to find him with only his stupidly sexy gray sweatpants and your cat apron on, grilling some salted mackerel pike.

You heard him softly hum the opening of the science anime you two were watching, and as you do every other day, felt so lucky that he was here, and he was yours. He was so beautiful, and in normal everyday moments like this, you felt so at peace, at home with him. Before you knew it, you walked up and wrapped your arms around him.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” he greeted lovingly. “I started on brunch.”

“Good morning,” you mumbled in response before planting soft kisses on his bare back. “It smells great. But we’re going to turn into mackerel pike with all the mackerel pikes we’ve been eating lately.”

He laughed before he teased, “If you don’t stop kissing me, mackerel pike won’t be the only thing I’m eating.”

Even though you’ve been together for years now, he still made your heart flutter like he did the very first day. You smiled before grinning deviously and tiptoed to plant another kiss on his neck. “Maybe that’s the point.” You paused before you pulled him down a little and spoke quietly in his ear as if to let him in on a secret, "I’m not wearing underwear.”

You ran toward your shared bedroom laughing as you heard the clinking of the thrown spatula and discarded apron, the clicking of the now-off stovetop, and his footsteps as he ran after you. His long strides caught up to you in no time, and he easily scooped you up and carried you bridal style the rest of the way to the bedroom.

“That was naughty, princess,” he whispered seductively in your ear. You felt his hot breath on your skin, and you were glad he was carrying you because he always could make you weak.

“Sorry baby,” you wrapped your arms around his neck, eyes big and pleading, pretending to look innocent because you know it turned him on without fail to ruin that feign innocence.

“You don’t even have to ask twice,” he said as he slipped his hand under the oversized shirt you were wearing.

You kissed him fiercely while you repositioned yourself to wrap your legs around his waist, your hands in his hair. With your shirt now discarded somewhere in the bedroom and your back against the walls, preparation for brunch was long forgotten.

As he continued to tease you relentlessly between heated kisses, your stomach rumbled.

He stared at you, you stared at him, and you both blinked before bursting into laughter.

“Babe, was that your stomach?” he asked through his laughter.

“Yeah, pancakes and hash browns sound really good right now, to be honest,” you answered truthfully, a little embarrassed but not ashamed. You were never ashamed of who you were around him.

“That does sound good,” he agreed, “Well, I guess it’s time to make some pancakes and hash browns then.” He pulled his hands away and set you down with a teasing glint in his eyes.

You whined in frustration as his warmth left you, and not willing to stop, you pulled back him to you and nibbled on his ear before purring, “Daddy, you can fill me up first.”

After, you found yourselves making pancakes and hash browns - with grilled salted mackerel pike that Kuroo was cooking before your interruption – for brunch. As you watched him eat, you caught a glimpse of his onyx black tattoo. Your eyes flickered to your wrist, tattoo matching in color with his, and you smiled fondly. He seemed to notice your smile, and although you were fairly sure he had no idea what you were smiling at, he smiled too.

Honestly, if this wasn’t happiness, you don’t know what is.

**Author's Note:**

> you taught me a secret language i can't speak with anyone else.


End file.
